Night terrors symptoms and conditions

WOW! I have NEVER had a ride quite like this trip. LSD and shrooms ain't got nothin' on these awful little buggers! At least when you ingest a hallucinogen intentionally, you are, or should be, somewhat mentally and physically prepared for the ensuing consequences. I really wasn't down with wigging out on antibiotics while sick as hell. I have mild anxiety occasionally, so I picked up on what was happening physically pretty quick. Until I did tho, I was a bit freaked out. Thought I'd write this for those of you who haven't had any experience with the physical/mental "symptoms" that can occur with this drug. Strange thoughts, detachment from physicality and reality, paranoia, anxiety...all of which can/will trigger actual physical side effects like rapid heartbeat, rising blood pressure, headache/migraine, vision distortion, ringing ears, extreme nausea/stomach ache, insomnia, night terrors/strange dreams, etc. Just keep these things in mind...it's not your imagination. It is the drug. It WILL pass, but it may take awhile. Just ride it out and don't let it get you. You'll be okay, but for me it took about 15 hours after only 3 days of dosing. I feel lucky that I'm so intune with my mind/body. It was a bit scary, but it's just knowing the possible side effects are real and not in your head that will make the biggest difference. This doesn't happen to everyone, and I certainly never thought it would happen to me, but I would rather be deathly I'll than deal with that mind screw and physical pain. Ugh. Terrible drug. I never take conventional meds, and this is why. May the force be with you!

I first started on the generic form of celexa(10 mg once a day) a little over one year ago..it was because I was having some mild depression..I also in the past have had some anxiety/panic attack issues. When I first went on it..it kind of scared me because I felt like I was in a fog..felt like i couldn't respond to things in my normal way..However, i did feel like my energy level was better, wasn't flying off the handle the way i used to, my panic/anxiety seems less frequent. Good things to say. I recently decided, however, to come off of it..(under the direction of my Dr.) I just hate the thought of being on med's to help me cope..I have been having a horrible couple weeks since I have been off of it..back to some of my old behaviors..and worse! yelling at my husband and kids for trivial things..feel very angst and ready to tell someone off at any moment..it has been horrible..am hoping this gets better..I hate feeling like this!

my son has all the symptoms that people have discussed and i would not have found it if he had not hit his head and started to have weird symptoms and after ruling everything out realized that he had been off singular for a month this summer and had started back up. He has had a lot of symptoms but I always thought it was something else. Like everyone said everyone felt that singulair wasn't a problem. I remember when he was little he was having night terrors and the doctor switched it to the day time which made it better but he has always had a hard time sleeping since he started. he has been off it for four days how long does it take before the thoughts come back to normal. If someone could answer it would be great. i am so upset right now as I am sure the other parents are that our children had to go through this.

Our son, who is now 6 was prescribed Singulair at the age of 3 due to asthma/allergies. He was prescribed this by an ENT/Allergist. I thought our sons mood swings were due to the fact that we were expecting another child. He was always so happy/loving and playful. When the baby arrived 2 months later, his behavior worsened. Again, I put it on the new baby sister in the house. His moods/anger/outbursts increased. He hit, threw things etc. I told the doc about this and he said it was due to his enlarged tonsils, and they were then removed. Well needless to say, his behavior did not change because he was still on the Singulair. I mentioned the possible side effects to his pediatrician and she said it was a possibility, but to keep him on it because he needed it. Well, 3 years later, in March of this year I took him to an allergist that I had seen years ago. He immediately took him off the singulair (and all inhalers). His moods seemed to brighten a bit, but not they are worsening again. Is it possible for the Singulair to have long term damaging effects. I understand kids have tantrums, etc. Kids are kids, I get that. But he punches, kicks, screams, cries etc. My husband are at a loss. We don't know what to do. Oh, and he is now on Veramyst as needed (march-june, Aug-Oct.). Has anyone else experienced long term effects due to Singulair?

Just started my six year old son on Zyrtec again. The dr. said he could take the adult pill now 10mg. The last few nights he has wakened with terrible nightmares/night terrors. And after reading these posts i remember taking him off for the winter (he was on the liquid 5mg) and i remember him always itching his arms and legs. i remember giving him oatmeal baths. Now i know it is from stopping the Zyrtec. I am calling the doc tomorrow about these nightmares. He was also on Singulair 4mg for 1 1/2 years then one year ago was upped to 5mg. Within one dose we noticed he was very depressed and cried easily. After a week called the doc about it, stopped it then had our son back in a few days. Will Never give Singulair again and now stopping Zyrtec. All these meds are so scary. A part of me feels these meds are created because it is a HUGE business. They have side effects then you have to take other meds for those side effects and it is a never ending circle i feel purposely created by pharmaceutical companys to make money. And we are all suffering because of their greed. Shame on them

We put our 3 year old son on Singulair 2 weeks ago for allergies. It seemed to be helping him. He is a very mild mannered kid that has never been an aggressive child and never bites or hits. In the last 4 days his mood has changed, and he has bitten 2 kids at school, hit one kid, bit and hit his grandpa, has been waking up with nightmares and has been very clingy to me (his mom). After reading the side effects of Singulair last night we contacted the pharmacist and told him what has happened and he told us to take him off the Singulair immediately and contact our Pediatrician. I am waiting for a phone call back now. I am saddened that a medication for Allergies can cause such a personality change.

My son has had 3 night terrors in the past 2 years. This is such a horrific experience for a parent and I can't imagine what the child must be going through, but my son is in such a panic state when this occurs that you can't do anything to help him. All I can do is keep trying to talk to him until he comes around. He never remembers the episode thank God!! I just realized last night that there might be a link to him taking Omnicef and these night terrors. He hasn't had one for awhile til last night and he had two doses of Omnicef yesterday for an upper respiratory infection. After reading this morning about others who have had this same experience, I will not be giving my son this medicine again. Hopefully this medicine has been the cause and the night terrors will be over.

A GP have me 8 Singulair tablets to trial for my 4 year old daughter to see if her night time cough would improve....(to determine if she may be asthmatic like me.) A month back I gave her a tablet at bedtime over 4 nights or so. She had a virus at the time, so I didn't think too much about her waking in the middle of the night very distressed, inconsolable etc. Tonight I gave her a tablet before bed, as her cough was quite persistent & I thought it may help her sleep. Well, she's woken up twice in the last 2 hours crying in her sleep and very distressed. Exactly the same way she did a month ago. I've just done a search of side effects and found this web page. Very interesting....I think the drug has definitely caused her to have night terrors and definitely won't be giving it to her again!!!

Hi Metoprolol pill takers, You need to get off of this nasty drug immediately. My husband has been on it for 5-7 years and it has ruined his life. He still works and that is a miracle to me. His short term memory has been totally taken away. When I am talking to him, he forgets what I just said to him. I no longer let him drive our car. Everything that he once loved to do, can no longer be accomplished. He was once a fun loving guy who everyone wanted to be with. He no longer has friends that call him to do things with. He has night terrors that are horrible. The news on CNN announced last week that they are using this drug to give to people that have just gone through a traumatic event.. You know, like a plane crash, attempted murder, rape. This drug takes away their short term memory and they forget about the event ever happening. Can you imagine my husband running a lumber yard, getting a order, or talking to a customer and trying to make sense of the whole thing. I heard that the drug company has recalled the drug. I couldn't get it at Costco but I managed to get more of it at Haggen's. It's like they are getting rid of every last bit of it. Drug Companies will do anything to make money no matter who they hurt. They should be ashamed of themselves for putting out such a dangerous horrible drug. They need the money so they can bore the living hell out of us with their television commercials promoting erectile dysfunction and the four hour erection. I'm sure that is really good for you. Joking aside, I want everyone to know about these life altering side effects of Metoprolol. My hope is that he will return to normal after he is taken off of this drug and can lead a normal life with his memory intact. I will write to you again in 4 months and let you know.

My son is 10 and 1/2 months old. He was recently diagnosed with viral rhinitis (runny nose) and bronchiolitis. He was given and antibiotic and albuterol liquid. I was hesitant to administer the medicine because I had a negative experience with giving it to my daughter when she was a infant. She became extremely hyper and gained weight at a remarkable speed. You could tell she was on steroids obviously. My son seems to be having night terrors or something. Yes we are still working on the sleep all night pattern. But since he has been taking the albuterol, it has been horrible. We were told by friends to just let him cry at night. Originally he would cry himself to sleep and it would be short lived and bearable for us. Now on the medicine he awakes screaming at the top of his lungs. If you put your hand on his chest, his heart is beating so fast and his breathing is rapid. I haven't given the medicine consistently because of my fears. I am a nurse and I only give it to him if symptoms are present. If a listen with my stethescope and hear wheezing or feel as if he is forcing air out during expiration, I'll give a dose at night. I hate this drug for young ones! It seems like more harm than good. I think me and my son's doctor will have to have a long talk and come up with another plan. The money shouldn't drive you! My 1st born is now 14. As she remained on the med even to this day, I have still not liked it. Now she dances quite a bit and uses her inhaler maybe 1-3 times per month. When she was around 10 or 11 she was very chubby as a result of the steroid use, despite being physically active. @ age 10 she wore a womens 16. It took many years and limited use of the drug to get the weight off. If there are other options discuss them with you physician and get your kid off this drug. It seems dangerous to me!

My son is 8 and for the past 3 years has been on Singular for seasonal allergies. He has since been diagnose with asthma and he takes Singular daily. After being on it for 3 weeks he is now getting into trouble in school. The teachers say it was like a light switch being turned on. Completely out of character behavior. My question is this......has anyone experienced hyperactivity behavior on Singular?

Hi
My name is L. H. and I am a medical reporter for teh ABC station in Tampa. I am looking for a family in the Tampa Bay area who is experiencing night terrors or other symptoms from Singulair. Can you contact me if you are in driving distance? ******

thanks
L. H.
******

My son is 7 years old and was put on singulair for his asthma and allergies, my daughter who is 10, had been on it for over 2 years.
My son started experiencing, night terrors, out burst of crying, difficult to make decisions.
Anxiety attacks, panic attacks, did not want to go to school. After seeing his Doctor it was suggested that we pull him off the medicine. We started noticing changes within a few weeks. Please watch your child closely if on this drug. My daughter did not have side effects however we have taken her off this medicine also.
I would really be careful with this drug. Our family was in complete terror, watching your child struggling like this. USE CAUTION, IF YOU DECIDE TO TAKE THIS MEDICINE....

I am 34 years old. I am a pharmacy tech. I have asthma and allergies. I have taken singulair pretty much every day since it came out on the market. I've had asthma since i was about 10 years old. I took theophylline as a kid. Steriods on and off especially during times when my allergies are bad. I still use Advair during the fall and spring. Every drug has a side effect. However breathing is pretty good damn thing. Do I have days when I feel low? Yeah. Do I sometimes have nightmares? Yup. Are "natural" products the answer. Not always. The fish oil that some of the posters are touting can also cause GI problems. Some of the natural products contain herbs and other plant derivatives that can be harmful for a child that suffers from allergies. Not proactively treating asthma can be deadly. Some of the parents are suggesting steriods as the answer - those can cause weight gain, growth suppression and can lead to a worsening of asthma.

Singulair has never made me feel like I've wanted to kill myself. I was more depressed and angry as kid when my asthma did not allow me to partipate in normal childhood things. I was sad and hated life when I couldn't keep up with friends at recces because I was having trouble breathing. You have to outweigh the costs with the benefits. I am more irritable when I have asthma flareup then I am on a normal day. For me, I choose to breathe. And singulair has been helping me for almost a decade.

I'm not saying the medication isn't causing these symptoms but maybe there is an underlying cause to your child's depression.

Any drug has a side effect. But without medical research and the medications that come with them - people would still be dying of simple diseases and we wouldn't have vaccinations. As a society, as a whole, we are a culture that looks to someone else to fix things and then blames the people who try to fix it. We need to stop being the "hot McDonald's coffee'" society.

My 6 1/2 year old daughter has been on Singulair for 3 1/2 to 4 years now and we have had horrible experiences! She was having night terrors, mood swings, angry issues, self control issues, crying over small things, etc. We have been to psychiatrists and psychologists who have diagnosed her with mood disorder, sensory processing disorder and anxiety disorder! Well she has recently been having stomach problems so we have been going to a GI to figure that out. I got online to research and found numerous sites that told how Singulair causes all these things in children. We took my daughter off the meds and within 3 or 4 days seen a tremendous difference! She is a totally different child! It just really frustrates me and saddens me that all these children and their families are going through all this and the doctors do not seem to care. The allergist or psychiatrist didn't believe me. They say no study has ever proven such things. I don't care what they say we as parents know our children and we are the experts when it comes to seeing how they change when on this medicine, we are the ones that live with them and are with them everyday not the doctors! I think they just don't want to lose out on their money from prescribing this drug 90% of children with allergies and asthma!

my three year old daughter has been coughing in her sleep for a few months now so her doc prescribed her singulair because he believes she has asthma. now she is grinding her teeth in her sleep as well. i was wondering if anyone else experienced these side effects. she has only been on singulair for 3 days now and it seemed to start that very first night.
e-mail me at ****** if u have any info

We have a 5 year old daughter who has been on singulair for about 2 - 3 years. She went on singulair due to coughing asthma. We were soo happy about how well the medication worked, it took about three months, but wow, she finally got over her coughing and was living a more active life. I actually was soo impressed with it, I remember mentioning it and promoting it to some of our daughters friends' parents with children in similar situations....wow do I ever feel awful. Anyway, our daughter came down with a terrible flu a few weeks ago and although she didn't seem feverish, had not one, but 2 night terrors, something that we have been worried about and comforting her with for a couple of years. These 2 threw the 2 of us over the edge this time....we thought we had to get her to a psychologist.....she was terrified, and although we were holding her and comforting her, she was still screaming for us, and there was NOTHING we could do this time....we were doubting ourselves and the environments she was exposed to......what could have happened in her life to make her have such awful dreams??? It was about a 1/2 hour later when my husband asked about the possible side effects of the singulair.....I ran and grabbed the pamphlet, of course this is the first time that I actually sat down and read it, which I should have done some time ago....anyway it was then that I discovered how many issues weren't normal that everyone just kept ensuring us was fine. We had been questioning ADHD for some time, and had actually had it on our list to discuss with her teacher as she was sooo hyper on a regular basis...at the age of 5 she still couldn't sit through a movie at a movie theater, as much as she loved going, she couldn't sit through it....anyway, the only thing that made it difficult to think she could have ADHD was she was such a great learner. She was very eager to learn and loved learning and teaching things. But when giving her instructions or asking her to listen, she'd be so jumpy. She complained of severe leg pains which we chalked up to growing pains...poor thing! Her temper tantrums were out of this world.....she is a child that is soo full of love, but when she was in tantrum mode, she was soo destructive and she would feel soooooo awful for her actions, it was like she couldn't control herself. We just feel awful that we couldn't help her and we didn't realize that what she was experiencing was not so much disobedience, but an imbalance due to the medication. We have since taken her off the singulair, we took her off of it immediately following reading the pamphlet. We found that she was VERY emotional for about 3 days, then she pretty well recovered. She has since become a normally active 5 year old, she is soo good, and has not experienced any night terrors, complained of leg pains, and absolutely no tantrums. Oooh how we love her so much.

It seems that this subject has been extensively documented, but just wanted to confirm that I believe this drug is very dangerous. We JUST put our 5-1/2 year old daughter on it one week ago. She has NEVER had any issues sleeping, is most often in a great mood, and has been protected beyond belief by my wife from negative imagery, TV, etc. The last week was unbelievable. Night terrors every night, with the most vivid and negative imagery when asked to describe the content of her dreams. Things that I would have thought she must have gotten from watching a Stephen King movie. Given the lack of fitful sleep could have been a contribute, but her mood all week was very downtrodden. Hard to say a 5 year old can be depressed, but I would have to say she was, very sullen, moody, despondent to affection.

I can positively say this was a blind test. We didn't really read the label on the medicine until yesterday, so we were not looking into things that weren't there, nor were we focusing in on the sleep issues. We took her off yesterday, and hopefully I will be able to report that the night terrors that I am 95% positive must have come from this drug will abate.

I hear because the chewable format is new, this drug is really being pushed. I hope this drug is pulled instead of being promoted. Buyer beware, especially administering to kids. I can't imagine if our daughter had been a little younger and not able to express herself to the level she can at 5.

i am taking amoxicillin for a sinus infection. the first night after taking amoxicillin, i had trouble sleeping, but when i did sleep, i woke up with night terrors/nightmares. i have been extremely moody and short tempered, which is unlike me. there is a constant mild headache and a bit of depression. i am on day 6 of 14 and very tired.

for the people that have taken their children off singulair...
what are you using for a preventative med?
my daughter has really bad asthma and I don't know of any alternatives

My daughter is 8 and was prescribed Singular AND Zyrtec for asthma/allergy maintenance. She's been on both meds for 7 months. I have seen a steady decline in her ability to learn. Prior to these meds, she knew her addition math facts. Now, she forgets simple equations (3 + 4). Her mind wanders, she is unable to focus, and homework that should take minutes takes hours.

In addition, her emotions are all over the place. My little girl who once loved nature and held wiggly earth worms in her hand now runs in terror from any bug. She is frightened of everything.A tiny scratch makes her emotionally distraught for hours. She obsesses over slights from friends and withdraws to her plush toys.

She's also created imaginary monster friends: werewolves, vampires, and other ghoulish creates. She tells me of the living dead who cut off part of your skull and eat your brain and so you become part of the living dead. This is from a child who has never seen, watched or been allowed to view a horror film of any kind, who still watches Noggin and PBS on TV, and who, 10 months ago, wanted to be a marine biologist when she grew up.

Like others, the first symptoms were nightmares and night terrors. She also experienced itching, which I thought was due to her ballet leotard and tights (why do we look at everything but the meds?--because we trust the doctors!!!). Then, toward the end of school, came the stomach and headaches, so frequent, in fact, her teacher emailed me that my daughter was going to the school nurse too much and wanted to know if something was wrong. Her teacher also said my daughter seemed very spacey in class. No behavior problems. Just drifting. Very inattentive.

Like others, my daughter had her tonsils removed prior to going on these meds. Like others, my daughter was seeing a specialist--a pediatric allergist--for treatment. I discussed adverse effects for all medications with the allergist.

Like others, Dr. Allergist said there were none for either Singulair OR Zyrtec. My daughter had been prescribed childrens' Claratin (Rx for liquid form) by a pediatrician when she was 5 and exhibited the same behavioral and learning problems she now has for Singulair and Zyrtec. Again, Dr. Allergist said there were no side effects, that Claratin had a different active ingredient (I don't recall the name, something like lurderine) and to keep away from online Web sites, as they will only scare me. Ha! She also said ignoring my daughter's asthma posed greater harm than treating it. This is for a child whose asthma was non-existant until she began Claratin.

From my research, I'm wondering if the meds used to treat allergies and asthma actually contribute to lung ailments. Since starting these "meds," my daughter has had pneumonia and bronchitis. She did not have any lung ailments prior to Claratin. In fact, she was perfectly healthy.

Has your child experienced the same? Have you?

As another alternative for action, I am contacting my PTA and am pushing from that direction. These meds affect our children's abilities to learn. Teachers care. I urge all parents to discuss your situation with your child's teacher and push an agenda with your PTA. Collectively, the PTA can be an influence (it already has a nationally recognized presence with solid reputation). Forget the medical community (for now--drug reps "buy" doctors). I am telling friends whose kids have asthma about Web sites. I am writing to my Senators and the FDA as well.

Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to post. We can collectively push forward to get action soon for our children. Please, do not just sit and read. Take action. Your kids need you to.

My son has been on singulair for the past 6 to 8 months and my husband and i have had a very difficult time with him and his behavior. We have noticed him being very angry, mad, sad, screaming out for no reason, very defiant and not listening. He has been making threats to me for a while now, saying he wants to kill me, but only to me, his mother. He has become physically violent to himself and household items and me at times. He has night terrors and screams out at least 6 nights out of the week. He has bad headaches and often doesn't feel good. His stomach bothers him a lot. He makes constant threats to me and seems to not be able o handle the simplest task. I will not be giving my son this medication ever again after reading on this site. My son has suffered long enough as have we, his family. I want my loving sweet baby boy back! It makes me wonder what the hell is wrong with our society that they would continue to prescribe this medication knowing the horrible affects that our children endure. Shame on you! You deserve more than a slap on the hand! You should have your licensed stripped and e put out of business!

To anyone new to this site whose child is on Singulair and having problems consistent with the adverse reactions to Singulair documented on this site: take your child to the doctor as soon as possible and tell them you believe that your child is having an adverse reaction to the drug. Do not let yourself be talked into believing that Singulair does not have these side effects. Too many of us right here can confirm that it does. Even though the prescribing information for this drug has been updated to include a warning about these adverse effects, and the FDA is conducting an investigation into the safety of this drug, not all doctors are aware and some are simply unwilling to believe. If you hear "anecdotal evidence", "highly unlikely," or "I've never seen it happen" uttered during your visit, know that your doctor is making excuses for not knowing accurate information about this drug.

Doctors may attribute your child's behavior to their personality or developmental stages. But any child on Singulair should be removed from the drug if a consistent pattern of different or abnormal behavior is present. Most children do not fly off the handle for no reason, have night terrors, prolonged, violent temper tantrums, and act anxious, angry, sad, hateful, disconnected, or withdrawn most of the time. Most children do not have behavior problems that consistently leave you feeling like the worst parent in the world and completely mentally exhausted at the end of each and every day.

Tell your doctor that you want them to prescribe another asthma maintanence medication with a documented low risk of side effects. If your doctor trivializes your concerns or refuses to honor your request, FIND A NEW DOCTOR! YOU are the expert on your child, not someone who sees them a few times a year for a few minutes at a time.

After Singulair has been stopped, watch for a positive change in behavior over the course of several weeks. Make sure you have rescue medications on hand in case needed.

Most importantly, GO WITH YOUR GUT. "If something doesn't feel right, then something ain't right!"

What a night,6 months off singulair life was so good,until last night,a complete set back,insomnia night terrors, panic and anxiety all over again,could it be this drug causes flash backs,i am so frustrated and once again seething in anger at the suffering my son has endured ,and to think it may not be completely over devastes me.Any one else had reacurrances